Novak denied accusations against Gazprom in the energy crisis in Europe – RBC

Alexander Novak: Russia and Gazprom are not to blame for the energy crisis in Europe

The Deputy Prime Minister believes that the development of the energy crisis in Europe was affected by the reduction of European gas storage facilities (UGS), as well as the redirection of supplies of natural liquefied gas to Asian markets

Neither Russia nor Gazprom are to blame for the energy crisis. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak on the TV channel “Russia-1”, commenting on the words of the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol, who accused Gazprom of this.

“Of course, I was somewhat surprised by the statement of the head of such a respected international organization as the IEA, which is trying to shift from a sore head to a healthy problem that European consumers have today. Certainly, neither Gazprom nor Russia in general is to blame here,” Novak said.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the development of the energy crisis was influenced by the long winter, which forced the extraction of significant volumes of gas from underground gas storage facilities (UGS) in Europe. In addition, the world economy began to recover, and liquefied gas, primarily from the United States, went to Asian markets, the Deputy Prime Minister added.

In the fall of 2021, exchange prices for gas in Europe reached $1,900 per 1,000 cubic meters. m. The shortage of fuel reserves in European storage facilities, which turned out to be at a ten-year low, led to an increase in the cost.